Love In Your Arms Kidge Week 2018
by writeonblueeyes517
Summary: I wanted to participate in Kidge week this year since I ship it with a passion! If you don't like this ship, you don't have to read it, but please don't bash it. Thank you! Enjoy! R&R PLEASE!
1. Sword and Shield

Day 1: SWORD AND SHEILD

"Hmm. This doesn't look right," Pidge thought, tapping her chin as she looked over her tablet in comparison to the complex interior of her lion. Something just seemed off to her, causing the young genius to scratch her head in confusion.

"What did I do wrong?" she asked herself, pondering over her previous steps in her head.

Deciding it wasn't worth losing time over, she figured it was best to ask for help.

"Now, if I were Hunk, where would I be right now? My room, or the kitchen?" she thought aloud.

It only took her a moment before she shook her head and laughed at her own ignorance.

"The kitchen it is,"

She whistled as she walked, tucking her tablet under her arm as she skipped down one of the corridors of the castle. It was peaceful tonight as they traveled through the galaxies, the quiet a welcome change to the daily grind of protecting the universes. Her mission was deterred however, when she heard strange noises coming from the training room, a light shining through the slight crack from underneath the door.

She paused outside the closed entryway, putting her ear against it in an attempt to hear better. However, she had a lapse in her memory about the automatic capabilities of said door.

She stood stock still, closing her eyes and bracing herself for beratement to come; but it never did.

Pidge slowly opened one eye, and then the other, watching the scene before her with rapt attention.

The sweat continued to accumulate on his brow as Keith struck blow after blow against the training robot, his strikes swift and his movements accurate despite the very apparent fatigue that was beginning to slow him down.

Keith's frustration began to mount, coming to it's peak as he decided he was done with this robot; so in three consecutive movements – block, leg sweep, swift downward strike- the robot sliced in half diagonally and disappearing.

Keith wiped the perspiration from his brow, his eyes catching the sight of Pidge standing in the doorway, her mouth agape and her honey-brown eyes wide.

"Pidge?" he asked, pulling a small towel from what seemed like nowhere.

"What are you doing here?"

He began to walk towards the Green Paladin, wiping the towel across the back of his neck.

"I-,"she cleared her throat "I was just heading to the kitchen to find Hunk. I was h-hoping to ask him for his help with my lion," she replied, holding up her tablet as if it were evidence to collaborate her statement.

She couldn't help but mentally curse herself for her slight stutter.

It didn't help that Keith was standing only five feet away from her, wearing a white, sweat-soaked tank top, outlining every muscle of his chest that he had built up over the past year as a Paladin and as a Blade.

"Oh," came his short reply in between heavy breaths.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked, slapping herself mentally at the dumb question.

"I was sloppy on my strikes last mission with the Blade, so I wanted to practice getting them down. One mis-timed attack could mean the difference between victory and defeat; or even life and death,"

Keith gazed down at his feet while he spoke, avoiding eye contact with the girl in front of him.

A moment of awkward silence passed between the pair before Pidge broke it by clearing her throat.

"Well I better get going. My lion isn't going to fix itself!" she said, laughing nervously.

"Yeah," Keith replied, sighing deeply and running a gloved hand through his greasy hair, cringing at the sticky sensation. "I better get back to training," He pointed towards the arena with his thumb before he headed back into the open space.

"Hey Keith?" Pidge suddenly asked.

"Yeah?" he responded, turning around to meet her gaze.

"You – you want to train against a real person for once?" Where was this coming from?

"What? Wait, I thought you had to fix something with Green,"

"I do, but I don't want to go all the way down to the kitchen and find out that Hunk is right in the middle of a complicated recipe and he cant leave it or everything will burn down,"

Keith chuckled, knowing that what Pidge was saying about the lovable Yellow Paladin was indeed the truth.

"When is he ever _not_ in the middle of a complicated recipe?" he asked, a hand landing on his hip as his mouth quirked upwards in a smirk.

Pidge smiled as well, enjoying the expression that rarely graced Keith's features now a days.

"Alright, if we're gonna do this, then let's get started," Keith said, breaking Pidge's moment of admiration, causing her cheeks to darken.

"Oh, uh," Pidge stuttered nervously, fiddling with the edge of her tablet as she bit her lip.

"What?" Keith questioned, looking at the shorter girl with a quizzical expression in his dark eyes.

"I forgot, I'm not really in the best of training clothes," she replied sheepishly.

"Nah. You're fine,"

"Last time I checked, this shirt was not conducive to accurate physical training," Pidge argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then take it off," Keith said, looking at her from out of the corner of his eye, before turning away from her.

Pidge's cheeks grew three shades darker at the implication behind what Keith had just so nonchalantly told her to do.

"A-are you – do you know- how could you," she sputtered out, her words about as incoherent at the moment as her brain.

Keith raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior. "You _do_ still where a tank top underneath right?" he asked.

Pidge felt her skin grow even hotter as she remembered that she did indeed wear another shirt underneath her regular baggier one. She had started to wear a tank top with her typical ensemble once she started to grow, puberty beginning to make more changes to her body.

"Oh. Yeah," she replied, laying her tablet on the floor next to the door. She glanced towards Keith, making sure that he was looking the other way before she grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She tossed it in the direction of her tablet, shrugging when it landed slightly to the left of her intended target. "Close enough," she thought.

Keith suddenly turned to her, tossing her a staff from the rack against the far wall.

She caught it eventually, despite a slight blunder with her footsteps and a few slips with her fingers.

Keith simply prepared himself, twirling his staff in his hands before he ended his stance facing her, staff held behind his back with one hand and the other directed towards her.

He made the first move.

While Pidge didn't have the lightening quick reflexes that her red partner did, she did possess an uncanny ability when it came to speed, something that saved her from more than a few hits as they trained together.

"You're fast!" Keith exclaimed, catching his breath for a second.

"I know," she said, quirking her head to the side swiftly and smiling at him.

Keith smirked back at her, attacking before she had a chance to recover from their brief respite.

They continued with their training, each other looking for an opportunity to take the upper hand.

Keith had seen several opportunities, but decided in the end that the risk wasn't worth it. If he was going to win this thing, he wanted to do it right.

There.

With a swift twirl of his staff followed by three quick thrusts that Pidge barely managed to avoid, Keith was able to take her off balance, toppling her defenses and landing a sweeping kick beneath her legs, forcing her to the ground with a hard thud.

"Gotcha," he stated proudly, looking down at his opponent while he held his staff to her neck.

Pidge looked menacingly at him, a snarl on her lips and anger in her eyes.

Keith stood before their position had a chance to get to awkward, pushing his bangs out of his eyes before he offered the girl a hand. She was still pouting despite taking his offered hand.

"That was a cheep trick!" she claimed, poking him in the chest.

"You can't blame me Pidge. It's my natural tendency to attack, it's your's to defend,"

"And how exactly do you figure that?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Because I'm the sword, and you're the shield. It's our duty to perform like the tools placed in our hands," he explained, tossing Pidge her staff that had been discarded.

"Well maybe I wasn't meant to be the shield," she replied self-consciously, rubbing her arm.

Keith shook his head.

"Nope. Green knew what she was doing when she picked you. You defend people with everything you have,"

"And you _fight_ for the people that _you_ love, don't you?" she asked, looking at the Red Paladin.

Keith nodded.

"it's the only thing I know how to do for them," he replied, gazing down at his feet.

"We should train together more often," Pidge said, smiling as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Keith grinned back at her.

"We should,"


	2. Fashion

Day 2; FASHION.

Katie had never really been into fashion, not getting into the latest trends like most earth teenagers did. Instead, she chose to focus on her grades, the increasing of her knowledge in as many fields as she possibly could. However, her opinion changed significantly as the years passed and her admiration of a certain paladin began to grow.

He was gorgeous.

There really was no way around it.

What, in his tight t-shirts that accented his growing muscular frame just right and his tall red and white boots that he always had those dark jeans tucked into. It didn't help Pidge either when she finally started to notice just how nicely his behind fit into those beautifully dark trousers, spitting out the large gulp of her drink at dinner that evening as he sauntered out of the room and towards the training deck.

And therefore, so did her style. The style she had originally thought was dull and useless.

It had started out gradual, little things that Pidge changed.

First, it had been her hair. She tried out several different styles, none of them satisfying her completely, until she finally gave up and decided to simply put it into a short pony tail that hugged the back of her head.

Her orange sneakers were eventually abandoned for a pair of boots that fit her better – and gave her fewer foot cramps.

Next Her oversized tee had soon been traded in for a similar style of shirt that fitted her more "feminine" figure better, the green body and grey sleeves accentuating her small frame just right.

The one thing that she simply refused to get rid of were her shorts, the comfort of said clothing offering her more pros than cons. However, she wasn't apposed in any way to the black leggings that Lance suggested offhandedly. The next day found her sporting a more stylish form of her short cut to her mid-thigh and said leggings hugging her legs underneath.

Shiro was the first one to notice the sudden glances that were sent towards the shortest paladin from Keith as of late, his dark eyes lingering on her form whenever she would enter or leave a room. A knowing smile would cross his lips several times a day now.

Eventually confrontation would have to come between the pair, and when it finally did, Shiro made sure no one else was in sight – at least, for the first fifteen seconds.

Pidge wasn't paying attention to anything but her tablet when she met with an unmovable force, colliding with it and beginning her decent towards the hard floor. She never had her unexepected meeting however, as she felt a warm hand grasp her wrist, pulling her back up to her feet.

Pidge slowly opened her eyes, finding herself faced with a sweaty, grey shirt. She looked up to find that said piece of clothing belonged to none other than the red Paladin.

"You need to be more careful Pidge," Keith commented, a slight upturn on his lips as he noticed the slight blush staining her cheeks. "New shirt? I like it. Looks way better than that old baggy thing from before,"

Where had this sudden boldness come from?

"That's none of your business! Besides, you need to cut your hair," she complained, pulling her wrist free from his grasp.

A blush began to spread across his face and a hand hastily went to the back of his neck.

"You think so?" he asked, fingering a lock of his hair at the nape of his neck.

Pidge nodded, swallowing as her blush increased. He looked _too_ cute doing that.

"Only if you grow your's out," he countered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"W-what?" she asked, surprise in her wide honey eyes.

"You heard me,"

Pidge dismissed it, beginning to walk off despite the overwhelming sensation of heat on her face. One word spoken by the Red Paladin forced her to stop in track though.

"Katie,"

Keith smirked as he saw her small hand ball into a fist at her side, before she whirled around suddenly, causing his face to lose all color and eyes to grow wide as she pointed a finger in his face and yelled with all the air in her lungs.

"DEAL!"


	3. Adore

Day 3: ADORE

Pidge knew that her boyfriend was not really into the whole "gift giving" thing, something that she had known about him ever since they had first started off as a team of Paladins. She figured it had something to do with his loner tendencies.

But even still.

It was Valentine's Day for crying out loud! No one, _no one_ , skipped or forgot Valentine's Day! Even if you were in space!

It wasn't that she hadn't received enough chocolate and lollipops to satisfy her enormous sweet tooth – Hunk had made sure of that – or that she hadn't gotten some thoughtful and useful gifts from the other Paladins. She had.

It was rather the fact that this was a more _significant_ holiday this time around. It was her first Valentine's in which she actually _had_ a boyfriend to share it with.

And yet, he had remained scarce the entire day.

Now Pidge understood that it was a lot for him to take in, but she also didn't understand how he could possibly be so selfish as to not get her _anything_ at all!

She stomped towards her personal quarters, irate with a certain Red Paladin as she nearly plowed over a note that was left outside her door.

Curiosity overcoming her anger, she opened the note to find that it only contained two words;

"Love, Keith,"

Even more intrigued by the odd message, Pidge opened her door, her lights automatically turning on and greeting her with a very unusual yet welcome sight.

Pidge gasped, the tears beginning to well up in eyes as the sight of what looked like hundreds of flowers decorated her room. Dozens of colors, scents, and blossoms invaded her senses as she gazed upon the beauty before her.

Before she could marvel at the gift any longer, she noticed a certain bouquet of deep, red rose-looking flowers in a tall, glass vase, on her desk, a white envelope tucked lovingly inside.

"I adore you,

Katie,"

Pidge smiled at the small note in her hand, drinking in the fragrance of the many buds surrounding her as well as the thoughtfulness behind such a wondrous present.

Perhaps, Keith wasn't so bad at gift giving after all.

* * *

"I told you it would work!" Lance stated proudly, standing to his feet from behind the hiding spot of crates.

"Get down would you!" Keith hissed, pulling Lance back down to kneeling level by the hem of his shirt.

"Ok, but was I right, or was I right?" Lance whispered smugly, waggling his eyebrows at the mullet teen.

Keith sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You were right," he muttered. "She loved them,"

Neither Lance or Hunk missed the way the Red Paladin's lips had a slight upward curve to them.


	4. Music

Day 4: MUSIC

Pidge flipped over to her left side for what felt like the seventh time in just the last ten minutes. Normally, Pidge was a very good sleeper, able to fall into dreamland quite quickly and easily, but For some reason, she just couldn't seem to get comfortable tonight.

A growl escaped her lips around the same time that her stomach decided to make a similar noise.

She grunted as she tossed the covers aside and threw her legs over the side of her bed, rubbing the heels of her hands into her overly-tired eyes.

"Maybe there are some leftovers in the food preserver," she grumbled as she practically slammed her fist into the "open" button on her door's keypad, trudging out into the dark hallway.

She was over halfway to the kitchen when she realized that she had left her glasses behind in her room.

"Oh well," she shrugged, continuing on her journey. Hunger outweighed anything else right now.

She felt her way along the walls, feeling through the darkness to try and find her way. No one could be able to see in this unearthly black.

After two dead ends and a wrong turn, Pidge finally made it to the kitchen, running her fingers along the wall in an effort to locate the control panel. "Got it!" she whispered, hitting the button that would open up the sliding, metal door.

In an instant, she brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the sudden presence of the bright lights of the kitchen that invaded her visual senses. She blinked several times, adjusting her eyes gradually to begin to make out different aspects of the room.

However, the sight that greeted her after the blurriness dissipated was far from anything that she expected.

Keith was at one of the far counters, a black tank top hugging his muscular frame, a pair of red, black and grey plaid pajama pants sitting low on his hips and showing of a generous slice of pale skin of his lower back. He was obviously making some kind of dish for himself, as he tapped one of his bare feet to in synch to something unidentifiable.

Suddenly, the barefooted teenager turned around, startling Pidge, making her think that he had caught her. Her hand flew to her chest in an effort to stop her heart from jumping out of her chest at the shock, but instead of Keith asking her what she was doing there like she had expected him to, he put one hand on his chest and the other hand out in a dramatic fashion, mouthing what looked like a line from a song.

His new position revealed a pair of grey earbuds stuck in his ears, the other end of which disappeared into the pocket of his pajama pants.

Pidge stood stock still, watching as Keith twirled around, slid across the floor, and danced out what looked like every possible dance move that he had ever learned since he had been five right in the kitchen of the Castle of Lions.

Pidge couldn't help but be amused at his childishness, a smile creeping onto her face as she watched him.

She wasn't sure what made her walk towards him, or what caused her to tap him on the shoulder, nor what possessed her to smile at him when he turned around and stared at her with his gloriously deep, blue eyes, sudden realization sparking in them.

"Uh, H-hey Pidge," he stuttered, hastily pulling out his earbuds and shoving them haphazardly into his pocket. "What, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking at her expectantly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Pidge shrugged, crossing his arms. "I was kind of hoping that there might be some leftovers in the food preserver I could have,"

"Nah!" he said, making a dismissive hand movement as he wiped his hands on a nearby towel. "I'll make you something," he replied, tossing the cloth on the counter as he began to move around the kitchen, gathering ingredient, dishes, and utensils from the different drawers and cupboards.

"How do you know where everything is?" Pidge asked, fingering a nearby knife and checking the sharpness of said object as she leaned against the counter.

"Hunk isn't the only one who's used the kitchen Pidge," he replied, flipping a knife in his hand before he proceeded to chop some odd-looking orange vegetable-like food rapidly.

"Ok, better question. How do you know how to cook? I mean, seriously I thought you would be like an, 'I burn the toast' kind of guy,"

"How do you think I survived in the desert as long as I did? A lot of it was trial and error, learning what was edible and what wasn't. I guess survival is just my natural instinct,"

"Huh," Pidge replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Soon, a delicious aroma began to fill the room, the sound of sizzling accompanying it.

"Wow Keith! This looks amazing! But, um, what is it? Exactly?" she asked, looking down at the plate of brightly colored foods that had been placed in her hands.

"I call it, Intergalactic Stir Fry," he replied with a wink, lifting a bite of food to his lips with the help of a pair of chopsticks.

Pidge looked warily at the food for a moment, shifting it around the plate with her fork, before she finally closed her eyes and tried a small bite herself. Her eyes popped open in surprise, looking at her food and then at Keith.

"You like it?" Keith asked, chuckling as he watched Pidge practically inhale the meal.

"Vis is _amavin_!" she exclaimed through a partially chewed mouthful.

"I'm glad you like it," he told her, collecting her dishes as she finished and laid them on the counter.

"Like it? I loved it! You need to cook for the team!"

Keith simply chuckled and shook his head.

"I don't think Hunk would appreciate that too much! Besides, I think I'm better off destroying droids and infiltrating the Galra bases,"

"Maybe," Pidge muttered under her breath.

"So I have a question," Pidge said, breaking the silence that had just started to settle between them.

"Shoot," Keith replied, not bothering to take his eyes away from the dishes he was currently putting in the dish purifier.

"What were you listening to earlier? You know, when you were wiggling your hips and stuff,"

Keith whipped around instantly, his disheveled hair, swaying with the movement as he stared open-mouthed at the girl. Pidge noticed that his favorite color had started to shade his cheeks.

"You saw that?" he asked, an embarrassed expression on his face.

Pidge nodded, a smirk starting to form.

"Aw man," he groaned, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"So what were you listening to anyway?"

Keith peered at her through his fingers, the blush still very prevalent across his face.

"I'm not sure you'd really care for it," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, his other hand firmly mounted on his hip.

"You'd be surprised what kind of music I enjoy listening to," Pidge replied, crossing her arms and smirking at him.

Keith raised an eyebrow in question before he shrugged his shoulders. If anyone was going to find out his secret, he would prefer it to be Pidge rather than anyone else in their haphazard, mismatched group of heroes.

Keith proceeded to pull his phone from his pocket, his earbuds soon following. He stepped closer to Pidge handing her the left bud and kept the right one for himself. Pidge willingly took it, placing it in her ear as Keith unlocked the device and clicked the play button for the next song, instantly filling the tiny speakers with an upbeat and funky sound. Pidge's eyes grew in surprise, her mouth dropping into a small "O" as the words and beat of the music began to sink in.

 _I, I got a new life, you would hardly recognize me, I'm so glad_

 _How can a person like me care for you?_

 _I, why do I bother, when you're not the one for me?_

 _Oo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo_

 _Is enough, enough?_

 _I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign_

 _Life is demanding without understanding_

 _I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign_

 _No one's gonna drag you up to get into the light where you belong_

 _But where do you belong?_

A laugh broke past her lips, startling Keith and causing him to hastily pause the music, embarrassed by her sudden outburst.

"Was – was it _that_ bad?" Keith asked, fiddling with the earbud he kept between his fingers.

"No! Not at all! It's just that," Pidge paused, swallowing as she thought about how to word things. "I didn't peg you as a Dance-Pop sort of person,"

"And what kind of music _did_ you think I listened to?"

"I don't know. Hard rock, punk. Something like that," she replied.

"I do enjoy some good punk music, you know, like All-American Rejects or Linkin Park, but my first favorite band was Ace of Base," he explained, still playing with the earbud chord.

Pidge smiled.

"Do you mind - could we maybe listen to another song?" Pidge asked, smiling sheepishly.

Keith stood still for a moment, Pidge thinking that he would deny her request, before a smile gradually spread across his face and he nodded.

"Sure,"

Keith popped his earbud in and pressed play again, this time changing it to a different song with the same upbeat tempo and funky rhythm.

 _"Life is a paradise, Oh yeah!"_

Pidge giggled at the words before Keith grabbed her hand, leading her suddenly in a crazy dance, his smile ridiculous and his moves even more so.

She couldn't help but laugh with him, enjoying the craziness of the moment with him. She began to listen to the words as the chorus blasted through for the third time, a blush spreading across her freckled face and neck as they sunk in.

 _Lucky love belongs in teenage heaven I know, I know_

 _'Cause I've been there with you tonight_

 _Lucky love belongs in teenage heaven I know, I know_

 _'Cause I've been there with you tonight_

She smiled as she continued to dance and laugh in the most outrageous of fashions with the taller boy, his excitement and joy never once wavering.

Perhaps this really was all just a dream, and Pidge would end up waking from it momentarily. Even if it was a dream though, she couldn't help but want to stay asleep.

 _"Maybe – maybe this is teenage heaven_ ," she thought, laughing hysterically at her dance partner as he pulled her into a very un-elegant dip, boldly winking down at her.

It was amazing how quickly hunger could be forgotten.


	5. Games

Day 5: GAMES

"Oh come on Lance! You're the only person I can get to play with me!" Pidge pleaded.

"Not anymore! I'm sick of always losing to you, you freak of nature!"

"Hey!"

"No! I wont apologize to you for that! No one wins forty-seven games in a row! And yes, I kept track," Lance replied darkly.

"Well it's not my fault you stink," she muttered.

"Go find some other person to victimize with your ridiculous game!" Lance said, turning away from her.

"But, who else am I gonna get?" she begged.

"Here's an idea. Why don't you go convince that mullet boyfriend of your's to play. I'm sure you could teach him in a snap!" Lance exclaimed, snapping his fingers for emphasis as he walked away and left the Green Paladin alone in the hallway.

Pidge walked away dejectedly, trudging her way towards her personal quarters, her chess board under her arm.

"What's wrong Pidge?" Hunk asked as he carried a bowl of odd looking roots.

"Lance won't play chess with me," she replied, showing her gameboard as if it were further proof for her point.

"I wish I could play with you, but I need to work on dinner. Say, why don't you ask Keith to play with you? I'm sure he'd be able to learn it pretty quickly! He is a rather quick study when it comes to strategy. I bet a strategy game won't be much different for him,"

"Lance said the same thing," Pidge muttered.

"Then maybe you should take our advice and try it! What could it hurt? He was in the break room last I saw him if you're interested,"

Pidge shrugged, stepping up her pace and thanking Hunk and she left.

"Good luck!" he called, cupping a hand to his mouth and almost dropping his bowl in the process.

"Keith? You in here?" she called, soon locating the Red Paladin as he lounged on the couch, reading a book.

"Hey Pidge," he replied, not bothering to take his attention away from his novel.

"Watcha reading?" she asked, turning her head in hopes of seeing the title on the cover.

Keith looked at her over the top of his book, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't come in here just to ask about what book I was reading. What do you really want Pidge?" he asked, closing his book and placing it on the table.

"I was wondering if you might want to learn how to play chess? I could teach you ya know," she said, pulling out the board for him to see.

Keith shrugged.

"Sure,"

"Really?! Great!" She exclaimed, setting up the board in what seemed to Keith like record time.

"Ok, so here's how it works…"

* * *

"What was that?" Allura asked, Hunk shrugging his shoulders as a high-pitched sound traveled throughout the castle.

"I can't _believe_ it! I can't believe _him_!" Pidge yelled, stomping into the kitchen and towards the food preserver.

"What in the world is going on Pidge?" Allura asked her female teammate, concern in her voice.

"What's going on? _What's going on_! Keith! That's what's going on!" she cried.

"What's wrong with Keith?" Shiro asked, joining in on the conversation late.

"I'll tell you what's wrong with Keith! That _jerk_ , beat me at _chess_! _Seventeen_ _times_! In a _row_!" she yelled.

Shiro tossed a glare at Keith who had just entered the room, everyone's attention turned on him.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not _my_ fault I'm a quick study,"

"UGH!"


	6. Soulmates

Day 6: SOULMATES

"I'm bored," Pidge muttered, staring absentmindedly at the fancy glass of fizzy green liquid that she was stirring. It was apparently considered a delicacy on this planet they were visiting.

"I know. You haven't failed to mention just how thrilled you are to be here for the past thirty minutes," Keith complained, equally annoyed with his girlfriend's lack of interest in anything. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Find me something fun to do!" she whined, letting her head fall to the table in despair.

"Fine," Keith muttered, getting up from his seat and heading towards a pair of his fellow Paladins who were currently engaged in what looked like a riveting conversation with some of the locals. They must have been trying to get their support.

"What do you think I can do? She is your girlfriend Keith," Shiro replied to Keith's desperate attempt at get assistance with Pidge's boredom.

"I was just hoping their might be something to do at this gala-thing. You know how we both get when all there is to do is talk, Shiro," Keith explained, hoping to get some form of sympathy from the Black Paladin.

Shiro sighed.

"I'll see what I can do,"

"Thanks. You're a life-saver!" Keith replied, slapping the older man on the shoulder.

Before either of them could make even an attempt at changing the dullness of the evening however, one of the locals, tall, thin and neutral colored creatures with long cascading hair and deep-set glowing eyes and pointed ears, stood, announcing with their amplifying voice that they were about to perform a local tradition.

"The Joining of Souls will begin shortly," the male creature stated in a regal manner, his voice carrying above the rest of the noise quite effortlessly.

"We would like to honor our visitors, the Paladins of Voltron, with some music that we received from your planet. Please accept it as a symbol of our thanks for your protection and continued preservation of the Hyllovian race,"

The majestic race clapped in a rather solemn manner in response, but it was no less inspiring and joyful.

"Please, enjoy Paladins of Voltron," the male said, smiling slightly as music began to fill the gigantic room from what seemed like no-where.

Shiro was shocked as he began to recognize and understand the words that sounded throughout the space.

He turned to Keith, seeing the same expression that he expected was on his own face.

"Anata wa kore o kiite imasu ka?" (Are you listening to this?)

"Hai," (Yes) Keith replied, nodding and instantly replying to Shiro's question in Japanese.

"What? What's going on?"

Keith and Shiro turned their attention to Pidge, a concerned look on her face.

"Nani – I mean, nothing," Keith replied, berating himself for not transitioning back to English as fast as he should have.

"How 'bout a dance then, eh Handsome?" Pidge asked, a wry smile spreading across her face as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand before he could reply.

"Shiro! Tasukete!" (Help me!) he called, Shiro simply shrugging and smirking at the boy as he was dragged away to his doom.

"So, what were you two talking about just then?" Pidge asked as the pair started to settle into the dance.

"Nothing much. We just both recognize this song," he said, shrugging.

"What? Really! What song is it?" she asked, her interest piqued.

"You wouldn't know it,"

"You sure? I know quite a lot for my age," she proclaimed, smiling proudly.

"Ok then. It's called Kimi No Soba Ni Iru Yo," he said, a smirk pulling at his lips as he saw the confusion that dawned on his girlfriend's features.

"What?" she asked, befuddled by the man's answer.

He shook his head, smiling warmly at her.

"Kimi No Soba Ni Iru Yo. It's Japanese. It means, I'll be by your side," he explained.

"Really? I didn't know you could speak Japanese!" she stated excitedly.

Keith nodded. "Yeah. Shiro taught me when we were both in the Garrison. It was like our own secret code,"

"What are they saying right now?" she pressed.

"Right now? Let's see," he said, trying to hear the words clearly.

"yamiyo ni ukabu hikari. Kono ryoute nobashitemo todokanai kedo sekai wo terasu, or, A light floats in the night's darkness. Though we can't reach it with both hands extended, it illuminates the world," he replied, fascinating his girlfriend, her honey-colored eyes wide with awe.

"Anytime you need, kimi no soba ni iru yo tatoe kono te ga hanaretemo," Keith replied, closing his eyes and taking in the words as they began to roll off his tongue almost effortlessly. "Anytime I'm here sonna fuu ni negatta kimi wo shinjiteru tsunagatteru. That all means, Anytime you need, I'll be right by your side, even if my hand falls from yours. Anytime I'm here, I wished upon the wind... I believe in you... We're connected."

"Wow. That's beautiful!" she whispered, in complete awe at her boyfriend's ability.

"Sadness, happiness, even time. In a world where they're all completely unequal. By struggling, despairing, and eventually accepting it, we imagine our tomorrow, heading for the place we seek... and living in the moment. That's the next part," he explained.

Slowly, he began to sing along with the woman who was performing the song, effortlessly pronouncing each word, and completely unaware that he was doing so.

"Nakushita mono mo aru kono ryoute nobashite, tsukanda mono mo aru to kizuku," he sang, a smile burning at the edges of his lips as he closed his eyes, allowing the words to envelope him.

"Anytime you need, kimi no soba ni iru yo dakara kimi wa kimi no mama de. Anytime I'm here, sonna fuu ni negatta kimi wo kanjiteru tsunagatteru."

"I didn't know you could sing so well," Pidge stated in admiration, startling Keith.

"Oh no," he groaned. "I'm so sorry Pidge. You asked me to dance, and here I am, singing my head off,"

"No, it's fine! I actually was enjoying it. Besides, you are apparently a very accomplished multitasker. You danced with me the entire time. In fact, you still are," she said, causing Keith to look down at their feet, and then their hands, which were still tightly clasped.

"Keep singing. Please? I really enjoy it," she said, a blush spreading in a lovely manner across her cheeks. She really was beautiful tonight. She had worn a long green dress that went almost to her feet, a layer of fabric flowing around her legs like water and that gracefully hid her leather boots. Her shoulder-length hair had been curled, ringlets of her wheat colored hair framing her face lovingly. She had decided to forgo the glasses for the evening and Keith honestly could not have been more pleased.

While Pidge had undergone a quite gorgeous transformation, Keith hadn't been much of a slacker either, choosing to don a black tunic looking shirt that sported several attractive red accents that accentuated some of Keith's best physical features – at least, according to Pidge it did. Black leather boots, grey pants and a one-shouldered maroon cape complimented by a metal shoulder pad completed his almost princely look. The only thing that even let her know that this man in front of her truly was Keith were his black, fingerless gloves that he had been determined to keep. That, and his mullet of course.

Keith smiled, leaning in and beginning to sing again, sending a shiver up Pidge's spine.

"yamiyo ni ukabu hikari kono ryoute nobashitemo todokanai kedo sekai wo terasu,"

His volume began to rise and he chose to spin his girl, waltzing with her not caring who was watching or what kind of impression they made on this new planet and it's people. This was their moment.

"Anytime you need, kimi no soba ni iru yo ano hi kara no boku no chikai,"

There dance had almost come to an end, Keith bringing it to it's climax along with the song, and then bringing it back down so it could end gracefully in a flurry of green and red fabric.

"Anytime I'm here kono negai wa kimi to boku no mirai e to tsunagatteru,"

He whispered, leaning his forehead against Pidge's as he finished the song, his breath coming out heavily from the amount of exertion that he had just undergone. And yet, the grin that permeated his face was not going to leave anytime soon.

"That was beautiful," Pidge whispered, her breathing also heavy.

"That last line is my favorite," he said, pulling the woman closer to him.

"And why's that?" she asked, smirking.

"Because, when translated into English, it means, 'Anytime you need, I'll be right by your side, the vow I made that day long ago. Anytime I'm here, this wish is connected... With you… with my future'," he replied.

"Are you saying…"

Pidge's words were cut short by a sudden chorus of applause that began to spread throughout the giant room, the pair looking around to try and pinpoint what could possibly be the reception of such a fantastic honor.

They stared back at each other with wide eyes once they realized that it was in fact, them that the natives were applauding so generously for.

"That was the most elegant Joining of Souls Ritual that I have ever seen!" the male creature who had made the announcements earlier, proclaimed, clasping his five-fingered hands in front of him.

"What do you mean?" Keith asked, clearly as confused as his girlfriend.

"The Joining of Souls Ritual! You just performed it. Although, I have to say I have never seen one performed in quite that manner before,"

"Wait, Joining of Souls Ritual?" Pidge asked, feeling it was her turn.

"Why yes. The Joining of Souls Ritual is the most important Ritual that we perform her on Hyllovi. It is how we find out Mates of Life, the person that we will spend our lifespan with,"

"So in other words, we are bonded for life?" Keith queried.

The creature nodded.

"Yes. You are forever linked by destiny, fate, and our traditions. It is said, that if you dance the entire Ritual with the same person, then you are forever meant to be, growing old together and raising a family,"

Pidge was about to ask another question of the elder, when she realized that he somehow disappeared.

Keith simply shrugged his shoulders as his girlfriend looked to him for an answer.

They headed towards a secluded area of the room, holding hands as they went.

"I guess you're stuck with me," Keith said, smirking down at the shorter girl.

"I was about to say the exact same thing," Pidge replied, pulling him into a hug.

"Then I'm the luckiest man alive,"

Why didn't people ever mention just how wonderful it was to be soulmates?


	7. Conspiracy Theories

Day 7: CONSPIRACY THEORIES

The sky was beautiful, clear and full of gorgeous, twinkling stars that strung themselves across the Heavens. Keith should get Coran a small thank you gift for suggesting such a lovely, secluded spot on the planet they had landed. It was the first real chance he had had to get away with his girlfriend and spend some time in silence, enjoying each other's company and some light reading.

The blue grass beneath them was soft as they sat close to a cliff, their legs dangling over the edge which plummeted beneath them into a series of sloping hills covered in different colored grasses and flowers that must have been native to the planet.

"Hey Keith?"

"Hmm?" Keith replied to his girlfriend as he absent-mindedly twirled a strand of her ever-growing hair between his thumb and forefinger, his attention currently captured by his book.

"I was just wondering, do you think what this says is true?"

"Do I think what, what says is true?"

"In this magazine," she said, holding up said literature so that her boyfriend could see it. "It says that the whole thing with JFK's assassination was a complete conspiracy,"

Keith shrugged.

"That one's probably the only possible one that I've ever heard of," he said, continuing to twiddle with her hair.

"What about the moon landing? Was that whole thing fabricated?" she inquired.

"No way," he replied.

"What about the Holocaust? Was that faked?"

"Why the sudden questions about conspiracy theories?" Keith asked, closing his book and sitting up straight, looking at his girlfriend with a concerned look.

"I've just always wondered. What if the things that we have been told all of our lives about history, other people and countries, events; what if they're just lies to try and cover things up? Or worse, to try and lull us into a kind of false world or existence?"

Keith allowed a small smile to emerge on his face.

"Katie, even if all the things that we know or believe or were taught aren't true that doesn't matter to me. Sure it might be a little bit odd or even scary, but come on! We've battled alien races and outrageous monsters in _space_! I don't think there's anything else to be afraid of! And if there is, I know we'll make it through because we have each other,"

"How can you be so sure about that though?" Pidge asked, finally looking into her boyfriend's dark eyes.

"I'm not. But I am sure that as long as I have our team with us and you standing beside me," he leaned his forehead against hers. "I never need to be afraid of anything,"

Keith pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead before lifting her chin to meet his lips with hers.

"Ewwww! Gross! Can't you guys do that somewhere else?!" Lance complained, making fake gagging noises in the background noise.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," the Blue Paladin muttered.

" _TURN OFF YOUR COMUNICATOR YOU MORON!_ " Pidge yelled into her green helmet, hoping Lance heard her no matter where he was.

"I think he got the message Katie," Keith chuckled.

"Hunk, save me! I'm deaf!"

Keith simply laughed jovially as the conversation between their friends became their background noise. He settled back down into a more comfortable spot, enjoying the embrace of his girlfriend as they sat under the starry sky, enjoying the view and the peace of such a remote planet.

Keith was _totally_ gonna have to give Coran a thank you present now.

* * *

This was the hardest one for me to write, but I think it turned out ok. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this week of one shots! Happy Kidge Week, 2018 everyone!


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